1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to liquid dispensing devices and nozzles, and more particularly to a trigger type sprayer nozzle which is improved and adapted to spray in all directions.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Generally, a trigger dispenser of the type involved here is a relatively low cost pump device which is held in the hand and which has a trigger operable by squeezing or pulling the fingers of the hand to pump liquid from a container and through a nozzle at the front of the dispenser.
Such dispensers may have a variety of features that have become common and well known in the industry. For example, the dispenser may be a dedicated sprayer that produces a defined spray pattern for the liquid as it is dispensed from the nozzle. It is also known to provide adjustable spray patterns so that with a single dispenser the user may select any one of several emission patterns ranging from a stream to a fine mist.
Some known trigger dispensers also include a way to seal the dispenser to prevent liquid from leaking from the nozzle orifice during shipment or non-use. A variety of sealing arrangements are known. It is also well known to provide trigger dispensers with a means to produce foaming of the liquid as it is dispensed from the nozzle orifice. Such dispensers are generally referred to in the industry as xe2x80x9cfoamers.xe2x80x9d Various types of foamers are well known to those skilled in the art.
Many substances are currently sold and marketed in containers with trigger sprayers. Examples of such substances include carpet cleaners, spot removers, cleaning products, weed control and pest control products, and materials for other general spraying uses. Typically, such items comprise a bottle that includes a spray head attached thereto. The spray head includes a manual pump that is actuated by the hand of a user to dispense the particular liquid product in a spray or stream to a desired surface location or in a desired direction.
The fluid connection between the spray head and the bottle containing the liquid is usually facilitated by a feed tube that extends downwardly from the spray head and into the liquid. The feed tube is generally sized so as to extend to a location adjacent the bottom surface of the bottle so that the entire contents of the bottle may be dispersed via the spray head. In operation, the actuation of the manual pump by the user creates a suction in the feed tube thereby drawing liquid therethrough for subsequent dispersion via the spray head.
Such containers possess certain inherent deficiencies that detract from their overall utility. Foremost is the requirement that such spray heads be generally horizontally oriented in order to function properly. In this respect, since the feed tube extends downwardly into the liquid within the bottle, tilting the bottle can result in drawing air rather than liquid into the feed tube, thereby causing the unit to loose function. In addition, many of the known spray heads have a built-in check valve. This check valve usually consists of a ball used to check or stop the fluid from returning down the feed tube. However, when the spray head is tilted the check valve ball can simply roll out of position and the unit will fail to draw liquid. Thus, current spray containers must be generally horizontally stabilized and numerous hand pumping actions are needed to refill the feed tube or to reposition the check valve. This causes frustration and improper discharging of liquid.
According to current construction, trigger sprayers are generally inoperable when used to apply a spray or stream of liquid in any direction other than in a generally horizontal direction. This particular deficiency becomes more apparent as the liquid level in the bottle decreases. The deficiencies of these trigger sprayers are very apparent when the user attempts to direct the spray in an other than horizontal direction.
This inability to apply a spray or stream creates significant difficulties when using such containers in specific applications such as spraying up under the leaves of plants, spraying pesticides up under cabinets, cleaning any horizontal surface such as ceilings, hoods, light fixtures or reaching under cars, animals, among others.
In addition, many applications require spraying in a downward direction such as spotting weeds, cleaning carpets, upholstery, floors or countertops, for example. One attempt to provide downward application of a spray is seen in U.S. Pat. No. 5,160,071 to Wright. It describes a spray bottle with a nozzle pointing in a downward direction. However, it is clear that this spray bottle is not suitable for spraying in any other direction. Many other applications require spraying left or right to some minor or major degrees of angle to reach the particular task at hand. Examples are reaching in ovens to spray all sides, or spraying all sides of a shower.
Furthermore, current trigger sprayers present a problem of reaching these particular spray applications by attempting to turn the user""s hand in awkward positions. To hold a heavy liquid spray bottle vertically to spray in different directions can be awkward, and the unit may be inoperable in some position the user finds to be necessary.
Accordingly, there has not previously been available a nozzle connected to a trigger sprayer that is rotatable and directional to enable the user to spray in any direction without tilting the bottle. There is no known nozzle designed to swivel or rotate 360 degrees, creating the ability to aim the discharge pattern in any direction the operator chooses.
The present invention provides a sprayer nozzle assembly for dispensing fluid in any desired direction. It includes a rotatable conduit having an inlet end, a discharge end and a fluid passage, where an axis extending through the inlet end is at an angle with respect to an axis extending through the discharge end. It also includes a connection means to a fitting on a bottle or container of fluid to be sprayed. The connection means couples the rotatable conduit to the fitting in a sealed relation. Fluid can be dispensed in any desired direction by rotating the rotatable conduit while the container remains level.
The angle between the axis extending through the inlet end and the axis extending through the discharge end of the conduit is in the range of about 1 to 90 degrees with respect to one another. In a preferred embodiment, this angle is at about 60 degrees.
An alternative embodiment of a spray nozzle according to the invention includes a rotatable conduit having an inlet end, a discharge end and a fluid passage, where the inlet end and the discharge end are connected by a ball and socket joint. The ball member and the socket member have a central fluid passage. The nozzle assembly also includes a connection means to a fitting on a fluid container. The connection means connects the rotatable conduit to the fitting in a sealed relation. Fluid can be dispensed in any desired direction by rotating the rotatable conduit and moving the ball and socket joint while the container remains level.
In preferred embodiments the nozzle has a spray cap on the discharge end of the rotatable conduit and it is adjustable thereon to provide infinite adjustment of spray pattern.
Trigger sprayers attached to bottles which include the nozzle assembly of this invention are able to spray in up, down, left, right, or any directional variation thereof, without tilting the bottle and will not loose function when directed in such manner. The nozzle assembly greatly improves the ability to use trigger sprayers for many different uses including, but not limited to, carpet sprays, lawn and garden uses, cleaning products, industrial uses, health and beauty, and pet care, among others.